Burial-vault.



B. D. HORN.

BUBIAL VAULT APPLIOATION FILED APIM, 1914.

PatentedJuly 21, 1914;

w ammto'c E .U H cm IV.

7H5 NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTIJ-LITHQ, WASHING VON. D C

EARL D. HORN, OF GALION, OHIO.

BURIAL-VAULT.

onaco.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914:.

Application filed April 4, 1914. Serial No. 829,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL D. HORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in burial vaults and relates particularly to doors or closures therefor.

One of the principal objects of the invention is a very simple, durable and eflicient construction of device of this character in which no independent accessories such as pawls and ratchets are required to hold the locking devices in their operative or outward positions, means being provided whereby the actuating device which serves to move the locking members outwardly into locking engagement with the door frame will automatically serve the additional function of preventing retraction of the locking members after they have once been moved to their fully operative positions. By this means, not only is the construction of the device simplified, but as a consequence thereof material economies are effected in manufacture.

A. further object of the invention is a burial vault door embodying an improved construction and arrangement of locking devices whereby the locking arms of the members will, in the operation of the locking devices, have imparted to them not only a movement in an outward or radial direction, but a rocking movement in a plane transverse to the outward or radial move ment, these two movements being successively produced, the one after the other, so that such members will fulcrum upon the door frame and when moved to their operative positions will not only serve to prevent the removal or detachment of the door, but will also serve to press the door tightly against the frame so as to produce a hermetically tight seal or joint. And the invention also aims to generally improve devices of this class so as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

closure or door.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an inner face view of my improved door, showing the door in place with the vault body in section. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the actuating device for the locking members.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and desig nated in all of the views of the accompanying drawing by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the body portion of a burial vault, the same being of any desired construction or design within the purview of my invention, and 2 designates my improved The door 2 is formed on its rear or inner face with any desired number of apertured ears 3, through which locking fingers 4 extend, said fingers being formed as preferably integral parts of the locking frames or members 5, which are formed with inwardly extending stems or shanks 6, each shank being formed with a recess or notch 7, as clearly illustrated in the drawing.

In connection with the locking members, I employ an actuating device 8 which, in the present instance, is in the form of a disk bearing upon the inner face of the door, said actuating device being formed with an eXterio-rly screw-threaded collar 9 which is mounted for axial movement in an opening formed in the door and which projects forwardly therefrom, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. The collar 9 is formed with a non-circular socket 10 to receive a wrench or crank handle whereby the actuating device may be easily turned, and said socket is preferably closed by a screw-threaded cap 11 as shown.

The actuating device 8 is formed on its rear face with a sectional cam, each section of which is designated 12, and it is to be particularly noted that each of these cams forms a portion of a spiral and that the cam sections increase in thickness all in the same direction. The initial or lower portions a of these cam sections have their operative faces parallel to the plane of the actuating device 8 up to the point 6, and are eccen tric to such point, as best illustrated in Fig. 1.. From the point 7) to the opposite ends of the sections, said sections increase in thickness or incline aw ay from the inner face of the actuating device 8, as best indicated at c in Fig. 3 and also indicated by the shading in Fig. 1, and it is also to be particularly noted that the surfaces care preferably concentric, instead of being eccentric like the surfaces a. The reasons for this formation of the parts will be set forth when describing the detailed operation of the device.

The notched ends of the shanks 6 engage cam section is formed preferably about its highest point or end with a recess or notch 13, whereby the inner ends ofthe shanks 6 will snap into these recesses when the locking members are fully projected and the locking members will thereby be securely held in their operative positions without the necessity of using independent locking means for this purpose as, for example, pawls and ratchets which are usually employed.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, the operation of my improved vault door or closure and its locking mechanism will be apparent. It will be seen that the locking fingers 4 are beveled, as indicated at 4 and that they are designed to engage a bead 14: or the like, which is formed in the door frame. It will be noted that by having the inner notched ends of the shanks 6 of the locking members 5 ride upon the cam sections 12, the locking members will be first moved outwardly toward the margin of the door in planes parallel to the face thereof, while the shanks 6 are riding upon the surfaces a of the cam sections to the point Z), whereby the locking members will engage with the bead 14 of the frame. As the inner ends of the shanks 6 pass the points 6 of the cam sections 12, this outward movement of the locking members will cease and from the points I) on, the shanks 6 While riding upon the surfaces 0 will be moved inwardly or away from the inner face of the door 2, whereby the locking members will thus serve as levers fulcrumed upon the bead 14 at one will not only be secured in place as against removal or detachment by the first of these two" successive movements of the locking members, but in the second of these successive movements will be pressed firmly against the 'door frame and any suitable interposed packing or gasket which may be employed, and a secure air and water tight i seal or ]O111l3 Wlll thus be produced. and ride .upon the cam sections 12. Each I While the accom can ino' drawin illusvtrates what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited jthereto, but that various changes-may. be 3 made in the construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing z from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim, is:

1. A vault door, a plurality of locking members movably mounted upon the inner face of the door, and a revoluble actuating device mounted on the door and provided with a cam embodying actuating surfaces p rallel to the plane of the door but eccen trio in formation and other surfaces inclined away from the face of the door but concentric, the sections engaging the locking members for the actuation thereof.

2. A vault door, a. plurality of locking members movably mounted on the inner face of the door, and a revoluble actuating device mounted in the door and provided on its rear face with a cam upon which the inner ends of the locking members ride, said cam being formed with recesses at a high point into which the inner ends of the locking members are adapted to snap, whereby the locking members will be automatically held in projected positions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EARL D. HORN. Witnesses ETTA M. Bnnsmenn, R. O. TRACHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, I). C. 

